Second Thanksgiving

We got to have two Thanksgivings, since Andrea worked on Thursday, and the Rose clan in Des Moines was willing to delay for a day to include us! Yea!

Nate and Zach were two peas in a pod again, and loved running around with grandmother and grandpa.

Photos by Andrea

First Thanksgiving

Andrea worked on Thanksgiving Day, so I took Zach over to Warren & Barb's and had Thanksgiving with my brothers and their in-laws.

Zach was Mr. Social Butterfly for once. I remember when Cole was little and went through a shy phase, and you couldn't talk to him because he would hide behind Warren's leg. Zach was right there talking to everyone. He went in and plopped down on the couch between Bill & Sharon Yohn, completely at home.

He ended up visiting the boy's rooms, their cozy crash pad in the basement, and on the swingset in the back yard. That was the favorite place of the day, and Cole was more than happy to hang out with him while he was on it.

Then we all ate and fell into turkey comas.

Merry Christmas Decorations

We went to the mall and found that the Christmas Decorations were already out, despite the fact that it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet.

Zach posed with us in Santa's chair and checked out all the decorations. Santa wasn't due to show up for another hour, and Zach found all the hidden presents that the children coming to see Santa would be getting. They were hidden under the table.

We couldn't wait around to see Santa, that would have to wait for another day.

Autumn Yard Fun

What is more fun that a wagon full of balls? Possibly playing king of the hill on a newly sifted sandpile.

Zach liked to get decked out for riding the lawn mower, and did not seem to mind the geeky goggles at all.

Heartland Nursery

Zach and I went to the Heartland Nursery one Saturday morning. Zach loved it, and it was nice to go when it was mostly empty after Halloween and when the growing season was all over.

It was still pretty warm out, they still had live plants outside. Zach loved running around the yard and climbing on plant stands that were now empty. There was a large section of chimes right inside the front door, and scattered throughout the nursery. There were still pumpkins and other Halloween goods, but they were getting ready to put them away and they were getting ready to put the Christmas stuff out.

There were birds in the rafters and nice flags hanging from the ceiling. Zach thoroughly enjoyed running around and exploring.

Two Halves of Halloween

Zach got to have two Halloweens this year. He got a Des Moines one with his Grandma and Grandpa, and he got a Lee's Summit one with the Heinz's. He was a knight and did fine taking candy, but didn't do so well saying "Trick or Treat!" or "Thank You". Next year, I'm sure he'll hit his stride.

There was a Chiefs game on Monday Night Football that started while we were out roaming the streets. A squadron of WWII era prop planes did a flyby for the pre-game show, and we got to see them circling around, waiting to go in to buzz the stadium. It was a warm night with a beautiful sky and a very nice Halloween.

Some Photos by Andrea

Turkeys & Turtles

We got a good little display of turkeys this fall, but at greatly reduced numbers. I remember last year it was not unusual to see 18 or 20 at a time. Most of the time this year, we only saw 4 at a time and the most I've seen at one time this fall has been 8. Either the coyotes are picking them off or someone has been hunting them.

I found one of the parents of the baby box turtle that I found a week or two earlier. The orange eyed beauty was no doubt looking for a warm spot in the compost heap for the winter.

John Deere

We stopped by John Deere to think about getting a snow blower.

Zach took the opportunity to climb up and try out the seat feel of a few tractors.

Perhaps he's the reincarnation of a farm boy.

Habañeros Halloween Display

This Mexican restaurant in Lee's Summit has always been distinctive with the big yellow plane on top. This Halloween they really went over the top.

Legacy Park Silhouettes

We took a fun walk in Legacy Park recently and noticed some nice shapes and outlines.